Twist

Chapter 54: Tragedy

Temptest immediately pointed her blaster at Bumblebee. At this point, she'd already figured out the bots in other dimensions weren't always the same. If this Bumblebee was her enemy, then so be it. The Ultra Magnuss didn't dare more. She had them at a disadvantage with their leader in imminent danger.

"Optimus, are you alright?" Temptest called out.

"He's fine," Bumblebee answered for him as he stood up. The yellow bot walked down the stairs and approached them. It took a moment for her to realize that he spoke normally, without the beeping and whirring of a damaged voicebox.

"Don't move or I'll shoot!" Temptest warned.

Bumblebee shrugged her off. "And you'll probably hit me once, maybe even twice, but by that point, my men will be swarming you and I'll still be alive."

Temptest growled. He had a point.

Optimus rose from his pedes and faced her. "Temptest, stand down. He's Bumblebee."

"I know who he looks like," Temptest replied, not taking her blaster or optics off Bumblebee, "I just don't know who he is."

Bumblebee stopped a few steps in front of Optimus and looked at her. "They call me Stinger. I orchestrate order throughout the universe."

Temptest frowned. "I heard you only wanted to play out your revenge against Optimus."

"Revenge?" Stinger stepped forward. "No. I'm more partial toward my loyalty to the Decepticon cause."

"Decepticon?" Temptest's optics widened and she lowered her blaster. Maybe Bumb...Stinger, wasn't as evil as she thought. If he was a Decepticon trying to get rid of evil Optimuss, then perhaps—

"I started out as an Autobot," Stinger admitted. "But I failed my very first mission, scouting an elite team of Decepticons. They found me, and I only managed to take one out before I was knocked out. I didn't wake up until the Autobots arrived."

"Bumblebee, please," Optimus pleaded. "I'm so sorry for wh—"

Stinger suddenly slammed his fist into Optimus's face, throwing the Prime to the door. Temptest jumped forward, but Stinger pointed his blaster at Optimus threateningly and glared at her.

"Megatron ripped my voicebox out!" Stinger screamed, lubricant pooling in his optics. "Megatron killed my friends, my family, he destroyed my planet, threatened our chance at survival, aligned himself with Unicron, tortured my teammates, nearly killed my charge, destroyed Earth, and took EVERYTHING!"

Temptest stepped back. "But... Optimus isn't—"

Stinger laughed. "Right, Optimus is the good guy. The hero. The Prime. I believed in him. I believed in him so much..."

Optimus raised his helm again. "Bumb—"

Again, a fist hit his face, knocking him facefirst into the metal floor. Temptest gasped.

"Imagine my surprise, when I find Optimus extending a peace treaty to the Decepticons time and time again. Letting Megatron walk right into our base every time he felt it right," Stinger gritted his denta. "I warned you, Optimus. I told you not to, but did you listen?"

Temptest objected. "They're not the same!"

"They are!" Stinger screeched. "I try, I do. Each dimension I monitor, I wait for Optimus to make the right choice. I wait for him to finally kill Megatron and avenge everyone we've lost but he never does. Not in a single world..." Stinger's servo began to shake and the blaster he had pointed at Optimus started to waved. "After a while, I start to get tired of waiting."